Underworld Awakening
by sonnabo
Summary: This piece was written during season 9 immediately after Crowley injects himself with Kevin Tran's blood. It attempts to explain Metatron's motive for ejecting the angels from heaven. Rather than being a standalone story, it is intended merely to shine a different light on the events of the show.


" _Underworld Awakening"_

 _Season 9 Episode 6.5_

Sam enters the dungeon just in time to see Crowley inject himself with Kevin Tran's blood.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Can it, Moose. I'm concentrating."

"Concentrating on what?" Sam asks.

Crowley rolls his eyes. "I'm trying to figure out what that bitch Abaddon has up her sleeve. She must be planning something big if she's voiding my contracts to collect souls."

"And how does injecting yourself with Kevin's blood help you figure it out?"

"It temporarily gives me the power of prophecy. Don't worry. It will wear off before I have the chance to use it against you."

"Oh…so is it working?"

"It would if you would shut the hell…"

Crowley's body convulses and his eyes roll back into his head.

Heartbroken, Metatron wanders Purgatory seeking a way back to Earth. Each tree looks exactly like the one before it and he eventually gives up. He sits on a large rock, puts his head in his hands, and begins to sob.

"Why do you weep like a child?"

Metatron looks up to see a red-haired woman standing before him.

"Because my father has abandoned me, "he replies. "And my brothers are destroying my home. So I guess I feel like a child right now. An orphaned child."

"Who are your brothers? "the woman asks. "And how are they destroying your home?"

"I have many brothers. But Michael and Lucifer are at the forefront of the destruction. Their constant warring has ruined paradise. I fear that there will be no safe haven after they are finished," he replies, shaking his head.

"Michael and Lucifer…you mean the archangels? Are you an archangel?"

"Me? No, I'm just a secretary. I'm no match for them. All I could do was run and hide to avoid getting caught up in the war. And I couldn't even do that right. I was aiming for Earth and ended up here."

"Well, you aren't so far off. Purgatory has portals to all realms, including Earth. Of course, only a human can use the Earth portal so it won't do you much good. But there are those of us who have the ability to travel between realms without portals."

"I thought only reapers had that ability. Are you a reaper?"

"In a manner of speaking, I suppose. I am Persephone."

The vision fades and Crowley is jolted out of his reverie.

"What did you see?" Sam asks.

"I saw Metatron in Purgatory…with Abaddon."

"That can't be right. I thought Metatron was in heaven with the doors locked."

"He is. I suppose. How the hell should I know? This vision was clearly from the past."

"So what is she planning?"

"I don't know. I need more blood. And don't stare at me with that distrustful mug. You have as much reason as I do to want this bitch back on her leash."

Sam hesitates, then shrugs. "True, but can't I just inject myself with Kevin's blood and see it firsthand?"

"Sure," Crowley replies. "Just be sure to down a couple jugs of demon blood first. The power is only transferred when prophet blood is combined with demon blood. And all the purifying you did before that pathetic attempt to humanize me made your blood squeaky clean."

Sam is still wavering so Crowley grows persistent.

"Tick tock, Moose. Abaddon is absorbing souls as we speak. Do you really want her growing more powerful?"

Sam walks out without a word and Crowley sits in silence, waiting. Finally, Sam returns with a reluctant Kevin. The transfusion is made and Crowley's vision resumes.

"Persephone? You mean the Greek goddess of…" Metatron flounders. "Ergh, the wife of Hades?"

Abaddon's jaw clenches. "I am the goddess of vegetation," she says, enunciating each syllable. Then at Metatron's unimpressed expression, "And the queen of the Underworld."

"Like I said, Hades' wife," Metatron mutters.

"I guess you don't want my help after all." She starts to leave.

"Wait, I'm sorry. I don't know a lot about Greek mythology. I guess I should start reading more. Can you really help me get to Earth?"

"I can do better than that. I can give you the thing which you most desire."

"And what do you think that is?"

"Peace. A world in which heaven and hell are no longer at each other's throats. Are you interested?"

"It sounds too good to be true after everything I've seen recently. But I am interested to hear more."

"Then follow me."

"Where are we going?"

"To see someone who can show you the way things should be. The way they were supposed to be all along."

"Who is that?"

"My husband."

"Lucy, I'm home." Dean's voice sounds from the other room.

"We're in the dungeon," Sam calls out.

"So what are we like hanging with Crowley now?" Deans asks while entering the room. Then he catches sight of Crowley. "Whoa, what happened to him?"

"Long story short – Crowley plus prophet blood equals finding out what Abaddon is planning," Sam replies.

"Wait, are you telling me you juiced the king of Hell with prophet blood? What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking we need an edge on Abaddon and this could be it. You said yourself that we weren't just keeping him here for the one-liners."

"So, what, is he like having a vision of the future or something?"

"Something…"

Abaddon telekinetically rolls a boulder aside to reveal a gaping hole in the ground. Wind rushes out, making a sucking noise.

"You want me to go in there?" Metatron asks, taking a step backwards.

"Don't be afraid. I will be with you the whole time. And it's not as if you have any other options, do you?"

Metatron takes her hand and closes his eyes as they are both sucked into the portal. He opens his eyes and looks around. They are standing beside a river with the sun shining brightly overhead. The landscape is mountainous and in the distance is a massive waterfall.

"This is unbelievable. I was expecting the underworld. Or at least a dark damp cave. This is more beautiful even than heaven."

"This is the underworld. Or at least the edge of it. It's the river Styx. Our transportation will be here shortly."

"So the underworld is real? I thought it was just a myth. For as long as I have lived, people go to heaven or hell when they die. And monsters go to Purgatory. So who goes here?"

A raft appears on the horizon, propelled by a hooded figure.

"Thank you, Charon," Abaddon says, stepping onto the raft. Metatron's hand is still in hers so he has no choice but to follow. Once they are onboard, she responds to his query.

"No one goes here. Not anymore. With the rise of Christianity and other religions, people stopped believing in the old stories. Suddenly, the gods of Olympus and the underworld became myths. Without the prayers of the people, we lost power. Even the pull that once forced me to reside in the Underworld for a third of the year no longer holds. Not that I needed to be forced. Who wouldn't want to live here?"

"So, in your day, the underworld was both heaven and hell?"

"You could say that. We have a special place for the ones who just refuse to play well with the others. But for the most part, we lived our eternal lives in harmony. There was no constant fighting for souls like you see today."

"This is what you meant when you said you could give me the peace I desire?"

"Yes, exactly. Imagine a world where everyone gets to spend eternity in paradise. No more suffering or fighting for power. This could truly be the haven you wished for."

"But how? Heaven and Hell are still powerful forces even with Father gone. And if Lucifer rises - and that is what the demons are fighting for- then Earth will eradicated. There will be no souls and no people to pray."

"That is where you come in. We already have a plan to eliminate the threat in Hell. But for the underworld to rise again, we need you to help with heaven."

"How can I possibly help? All I do is take notes. I am not a warrior like my brothers."

"Hades will explain everything. But, I assure, it is not a warrior we need. It is knowledge. Knowledge is the greatest power of all."

They fall silent as the raft nears a waterfall. For a second as they go over, Metatron loses his grip on Abaddon's hand and the beautiful landscape is replaced by a barren wasteland. But she grabs his hand again and the image is gone. She pulls him ashore and they look up at a golden palace.

"Come," Abaddon says. "Meet my husband."

The door to the palace opens and the horseman Death emerges.

"Welcome to my home, "Death says. "I am Hades.

Crowley gasps as he awakens from the vision.

"What did you see?" Dean asks.

"The end," Crowley replies, still trying to regain his breath.

"The end of what?"

"Everything."


End file.
